His Beautiful Star
by RedCynic
Summary: She was his beautiful star.. his Mihoshi. But then he was gone, and it almost destroyed her. Oneshot. AU because of 3rd OVA


_A/N__: This was originally going to be chapter 8 for my fic Forgotten, but it just didn't seem to mesh with the plot, so I've made it a oneshot instead. _

_Mihoshi's always been an interesting character to me, but not much is known about her past. (Well, unless you count the 3__rd__ OVA, but I'll save that rant for later. Needless to say, I'm leaving that part of canon out of this fic. In my fic Mihoshi's an only child and Mitoto is not her mother).   
_

_So what was she like? What drives her? What are her motivations? And what was that incident that nearly destroyed her career (episode 4)? This is my humble attempt to explore those deeper aspects of her character.   
_

_Disclaimer__: I don't own Tenchi Muyo. I leave it to the original creators to manipulate the characters and get paid for it._

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_His Beautiful Star _

"Watch out!"

Mihoshi felt her heart skip as she heard the click of the gun. Her instincts told her to run, but she couldn't get her legs to obey. Her eyes widened in horror as she saw him squeeze the trigger. A loud boom tore through the air and Mihoshi cried out as a terrible pain ripped through her chest. Dropping to her knees, she gaped for air, blood rising into her mouth. Pressing her hands against the oozing wound, she struggled to keep her vision straight. Through hot tears she could see the assailant moving closer. Laughing and crying at the same time, he pressed the barrel of the gun against her forehead. Mihoshi couldn't help but notice how cool it felt against her hot skin.

_So… this was it…_

Closing her eyes, she resigned herself, tears streaking down her face. Breathing heavily, the fugitive fought to still his trembling hands. He had to do it now. The person who'd warned the girl about him had run for help, and he could hear the footsteps of the other Galaxy Police pounding closer. He had to do it now! He had to be free again. Wasn't freedom worth any cost?

Tensing his finger against the trigger, he uttered an apology as he felt the girl shudder against the gun. Seconds later he crumbled to the floor, shrieking as he gripped his bloody leg. As a team of Galaxy Police officers surrounded him and began to read him his rights, Mihoshi felt her arms trembled and suddenly the world became black.

_Darkness…_

_Silence…_

_Peace…_

When she awoke a few days later, she found herself in a GP recovery room. A feeding tube rubbed against the back of her throat and Mihoshi cringed every time the machine forced liquid down into her stomach. Holding back the tears that threatened to fall, she felt relief flood through her. She was alive…

From the corner of her eye, she saw the door open and a woman in a crisp white coat stepped in, a chart held loosely in her hand.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're awake," she said as she made her way across the room. Checking a machine for Mihoshi's vitals, she whistled as she scratched down a few notes onto the chart. Mihoshi wished she wouldn't.

"You've been out for about 36 hours now. It's about time you woke up."

Mihoshi turned her head away. She was too tired for this.

"The Captain is being very generous. He says you can take all the time you need to recover, and he insists that you take it easy for a while."

Mihoshi felt as if her insides had disappeared; she wanted to get back to work as soon as possible. What was she doing just laying here?

"I know you're just an intern, but you'll still have to fill out a full report on the incident."

The woman shuffled through a few papers on the chart and pulled out Mihoshi's profile.

"So I see here that you're still underage, so you'll have to have your parents sign off on all your paper work—oh and speaking of that—your parents are here to visit you." The woman smiled, apparently not noticing the look of horror on Mihoshi's face. "I'll go get them."

In the minutes before her parents stepped into the room, Mihoshi became a nervous wreck. As her sweaty hands gripped the stiff hospital issued blanket, she tried to ready herself for their arrival. What was she going to say? What excuse did she have? From her spot on the bed, she could hear her mother fussing over a few things with the nurse while her father remained silent as always.

"No, no, I'm sure we'll be fine by ourselves…"

Mihoshi felt like her stomach had dropped out as her parents strolled in, her father closing the door with a soft click.

The smile that had once been on her mother's face quickly faded as she took in her daughter's many bruises and narrowed her eyes at the tube that slithered down her throat.

"So," she said, making her way across the room, her white high heals clicking against the linoleum tiled floor. "You thought you were going be play the great heroine?"

Mihoshi cringed at the malice that laced her mother's voice. With all she had, she wanted to respond—to defend herself, but with the feeding tube down her throat, she could only stay silent.

"You have no idea how much shame you've brought on us, do you? Such an ungrateful child…" Mihoshi's mother crossed her arms and looked with disdain at the black and white tile that lined the floor. Mihoshi wished with all her might that her mother would just disappear… just sink into the floor and be out of her life forever. But her wishes went unheeded and she could only lower her eyes as her mother pinned her with a look she'd gotten many times before… one of absolute disgust.

A thousand words flew through her frazzled mind, but she knew that even if the tube wasn't lodged down her throat, she still wouldn't have spoken a word. As her father walked over to the window and stared out into the starry abyss, Mihoshi couldn't help but wonder how he ended up with her mother. In public they kept up the appearance of a happily married couple who had everything in the world. But as soon as the spotlight vanished, her mother would sigh and sink into her usual state. Though Mihoshi and her father hardly ever spoke to each other, they were bonded by a special similarity.. Mother detested them both.

When her mother met her father, it should have been a match made in heaven. Her father was a promising intern at Galaxy Police headquarters and her mother was a recent graduate from Jurai's royal academy. Growing up, her mother had been very underprivileged and it was on scholarship alone that she was able to attend the academy at all. When she met the man she would later marry, she knew instantly that he and she were meant to be. Charming and a little mischievous, her father obviously felt the same way, because went through great lengths to impress her. Once he even went as far as to 'borrow' a galaxy cruiser and take her mother on a small tour among the stars. A few days later, he proposed and her mother accepted, her eyes glossing over as he held her close. A huge wedding was held and the two honeymooned at an exotic resort at Jurai. Everything seemed perfect; however, few years later, thing weren't working out as her mother had planned. Instead of taking the more prestigious job of Major, her father chose instead to remain an officer. Her mother was furious and didn't understand why he wouldn't want a better paying career. After all, he wanted her to be happy, didn't he?

As the years past, a gap began to form between them. Soon they were like complete strangers to each other. In an effort to keep their marriage together, they conceived a child… a little girl with golden curls. Her father named her Mihoshi… his beautiful star. As Mihoshi grew up, her mother made it her personal responsibility to make sure her upbringing was a proper one. As soon as she was old enough, Mihoshi was sent to the best school and every afternoon she received further lessons from a private tutor. Whenever her father complained about the workload that his only daughter was being forced to endure, her mother would explode. Mihoshi quickly learned that rebelling against her mother was out of the question, and eventually, her father did too. Soon, she began to feel as though her life was sand and no matter how furiously she held on, it was all slipping through her fingers. It wasn't until Mihoshi was well into her adolescence that she began to express her wish to follow in her father's footsteps and join the Galaxy Police.

As her mother yelled and shouted accusations that she would be as worthless as her father, Mihoshi stood absolutely still, her mind elsewhere. She remembered the first time she snuck into her father's room and tried on his uniform. Though very baggy, when she saw herself in the mirror, a strange feeling came over her… a sense of self… of pride…

_She wanted more._

Joining the Galaxy as a new intern, she quickly fell in love with the hustle and bustle of headquarters. A sense of excitement crackled through the air like electricity and she fed on it. For the first time in her life, Mihoshi felt alive. Smiling as she weaved through the crowded halls of HQ, she pulsed with energy. With her newfound positive outlook on life, Mihoshi was a far cry from the girl her mother tried to raise. Always there with a helping hand and a few encouraging words, she felt as though she was finally becoming the person she'd always wanted to be. A person who helped people.

Soon she became very well known for her hard work, and there was even talk that she would become the youngest intern to become an officer.

"I hope you realize how foolish you've been."

Mihoshi closed her eyes and tried to block out the sound of her mother's voice. Tightening her hands over the rough blanket, she prayed that her mother would just say her piece and leave her alone.

"As soon as you're released, you're coming back home with us."

Mihoshi's heart froze in her chest and she saw her father turned and looked at his wife, shock unmistakable in his blue eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," her mother hissed, flipping back a strand of her long hair. "It's about time you stopped squandering her future here and did something productive."

'But I love it here,' Mihoshi thought. 'There are people out there… people who need my help… I want to be there for them… _I want to be needed…"_

Tears glossed her eyes as a painful sob swelled from her body. A terrible pain raged through her chest and she doubled over, chocking as her throat closed around the tube. Mihoshi couldn't stop the overwhelming dread from building up. She was going home? No! No, it couldn't just end like this!

"Enough."

A pair of warm hands cupped her shoulder and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Mihoshi wrapped her hands around her father's waist and cried onto his shirt.

"Enough, now…" he whispered, stroking her hair.

"Please just let her do as she pleases," he pleaded with his wife, his eyes never leaving his daughter. "Can't you see how much she needs this place?"

Her mother scoffed.

"What she needs, I'll decide."

"_No_," Mihoshi felt her father pull away and for the first time, she felt like she was actually being seen. Her father smiled as he turned to face his wife.

"We're leaving," he said simply, standing and making his way to the door. Holding it open for his wife, as he always did, he calmly waited as she cursed and eventually walked through. Just before he closed the door behind him, he leaned back and looked at his young daughter. No words were needed. Over and over, Mihoshi thanked him in her mind, and somehow she knew he got the message. Smiling as he waved a weak goodbye, he walked though the door and followed his wife down the hallway.

A few months later, Mihoshi was named an official officer of the Galaxy Police. Tears gleamed in her eyes as her superior handed her the badge. Though in the modern days, police didn't wear badges anymore, it was a sign of her station, the fruit of her labor. Scanning the crowd, she immediately found her father, smiling proudly as his wife chattered away beside him. Though she had wanted to see him after the ceremony and talk to him privately, her mother quickly intervened. Mentioning some important engagement, she hooked her hand around his arm and led him away.

It was the last time Mihoshi ever saw him.

A few months after she became an officer, a ship that her parents were on was hijacked by pirates. They left no survivors. Suddenly, it was like she was standing in the bottom an hour glass—sand pouring over her until she was swallowed completely. She was lost… she was nothing…

Never again would she see her father smile or feel his strong hands wrap around her.

Never…

_Never…_

Soon her normally excusable clumsiness accelerated to an all time high, and she found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on what she was doing. Then one day, she stopped working all together. The world didn't need her.

Staying in her small apartment, she isolated herself from everything that reminded her of him. She threw her uniform into a chest and left her badge to collect dust on her old desk. She stopped answering her door and whenever the telecom would beep, she would just roll over and ignore it. She wasn't part of this universe any longer… _Why didn't everyone understand that?_

As the day passed, she watched the glass around her dim to stimulate night. Although living in a space colony meant sacrificing things like sunsets and natural air, she preferred it her home planet. The planet of one thousand seas… the blue pearl of space… Tourists came from all over to spend their vacations there; families moved and populated the floating islands. It was a paradise… one that Mihoshi no longer wanted to be in. Closing her eyes, she welcomed sleep and let the world slip away.

A few hours later, she jerked away. Again she heard someone bang at her door. Sighing, she was just moments away from going back to bed, when a gruff voice came from the other side of the door.

"It's been a long time, Mihoshi-chan."

Mihoshi froze as the realization hit her.

"Grandpa?"

A warm chuckle floated from the other side.

"I didn't think you'd recognize me.."

Slowly, she wrapped herself in a robe and made her way to the door. She reached out, hesitant at first, but overcame it and pushed the button. As the door slid open, Mihoshi gasped. Standing before her was a much older version of her father. He had the same gentle eyes.. the same blonde hair… just like hers. A sob welled up inside her as she moved aside and gestured for him to enter. Carefully walking over the empty sake bottles and trash, her grandfather sighed and sat on a nearby sofa.

"Last time I saw you, you were just this tall," he said as he held his hand up just above his knee.

Mihoshi tried to give a weak smile, but didn't get very far. She wanted to know what he wanted. Why was he here? But like a shell swept away into the ocean, her voice was gone. It sank inside her and settled somewhere in the darkness, completely out of her reach.

As a thick silence hung over the room, Mihoshi shifted uncomfortably in her night robe. Breaking the silence with a sigh, her grandfather lowered his head.

"I know I haven't been around for you since…"

_He couldn't say it… _

'Since my father died,' Mihoshi thought, looking away.

"Mihoshi-chan, I loved your father very much, and I'll never forgive myself for not being there for you when you needed me most," he sighed, searching for the right words. "But I'm here for you now and—"

"I'm very sorry, but I think you should leave," Mihoshi said softly, surprised that she was even able to say it. She cringed as her grandfather stood, his head down.

"Mihoshi-chan, everyone is worried about you. We all wish you would come back to work."

"Gomen, but I just can't," she whispered, lowering head so her bangs obscured her face.

Her grandfather sighed and glanced over his now adult granddaughter. It surprised him how much she'd grown; how much she resembled his son. A wave of guilt flooded over him when he noticed how thin she'd gotten. Her robe hung in large wrinkles over her body, and her cheeks had begun to sink in. He had to do something—he couldn't loose her too!

"You know, when your father was just beginning as a new officer at HQ, everyone thought he would follow in my footsteps and just escalate right up into the main office."

Mihoshi turned her head; she didn't want to hear this.

"But when the time came for his promotion, he surprised everyone and turned it down. When I asked him why, he told me that he wanted to help real people, and he couldn't do that from a high office. He said he that those at the top had lost their passion—that they no longer remembered what they stood for. He wanted to surround himself with people, not paperwork."

"Grandpa, I don't—"

"Mihoshi-chan," Her eyes widened as her grandpa suddenly walked over to her and embraced her tenderly, his large hands completely covering her small shoulders. "You father was the most important person in the world to me, and I'll never forgive myself for not being there when he needed me most." Tears welled in Mihoshi's eyes, and she wished he would just stop. "But, Mihoshi-chan, you have the same passion your father does. No matter what your flaws, you're genuine, and if you just let your life slip away, how can you forgive yourself?"

Mihoshi shuddered as she tried to blink away her tears. Pulling away for a moment, her grandfather waited until she looked at him again.

"Why do you want to be a police officer?"

"Because…" her voice cracked as she struggled to maintain her voice. "Because I want to help people…"

"And how do you feel when you help someone?"

"Like I'm worth something… like I'm needed. I feel _alive_," she finished, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve.

"Then, you have to come back, because no matter what happens to us, we are police officers. We exist to help others. To our last days, we live for the good of others."

Mihoshi gasped as she felt her grandfather place her badge in her hand. Running her fingers of the inscription, she felt the words spell out her name and title: Mihoshi Kuramistu, Detective First Class. That was who she was. Clasping the badge firmly in her hand, a sudden burst of energy soared through her and she snapped at attention, her hand held above her brow. Although she was sure that she looked ridiculous saluting her grandfather in her night robe, she could not stop a small sense of pride from pouring through her. Her grandfather smiled and raised his hand as well. No matter what, she would always be an officer. A servant of the public.

_To Serve And Protect. _

It just who she was.

The next day, Mihoshi returned to HQ, her uniform pressed and her hair washed. Everyone, even her Captain, seemed overjoyed with her return. Though still maintaining her reputation as the GP's clumsiest and most destructive detective, people couldn't help but be amazed at her persistence and positive nature. She was, after all, a _damn_ good detective.

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_A/N: Well, there you have it. My version of Mihoshi's past. Now I know my Mihoshi may seem a bit OOC but you must remember that she's known for having a golden period. (Remember what Kagato said?) Besides, we were all different people in our adolescent days, so if you could just draw an imaginary line from my Mihoshi to the current canon Mihoshi then everything should fall into place. Or maybe I'm just completely inane, but that's beside the point. Oh, and I know that the honorifics are Japanese, and they're obviously not in Japan, but I wanted to use them anyway. _

_Now onto my 3__rd__ OVA rant._

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_**Warning**__**: If you liked/loved the 3**__**rd**__** OVA, please be aware that I hated it. I have nothing positive to say about it. So don't read my rant and flame me for it. You don't have to read it. I put it at the bottom of the fic for a reason. It's not part of it. This is just me venting some steam. Now, if you thought my **__**fic**__** was trash, then by all means, tell me about it. But do not flame me for having an opinion especially since I paid good money those DVDs and have every right to bad talk them. **_

_**So, **__**final warning**__**: I hated the 3**__**rd**__** OVA. Don't flame me for the rant below.**_

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_Honestly, am I the only one who sees the 3__rd__ OVA as just a pathetic attempt to make more money off a series that should have ended a LONG time ago? I mean seriously—all that hype about Tenchi choosing one of the girls and what do we get? Plot holes! And lots of them! I love Tenchi Muyo. But the 3__rd__ OVA was just a slap in the face. Just a bunch of crappy animation (yes the animation was crappy. All those pointy breasts and exaggerated face lines. Please.) and a plot that looked like a really really REALLY bad fan fic. Now I know there are some people out there who don't want Tenchi to choose because the series would end, but…that's the point. That's a story. There's a beginning, rising action, CLIMAX, falling action, and the end. We've all had English comp. We all know the formula. It's inescapable. (I mean come on! Harry Potter ended and it's still amazingly popular. Just look at all the fanfiction that's submitted each day)._

_Oh, and don't even get me started on the harem or polygamy slant. True, some people like that kind of thing and good for them, but as for me, I'm a one girl/guy at a time person. Now I'm sure that it must be nice that have one girl for each good trait a girl can have. (This one can cook, but that one's really polite, oh and that one's really hot..) but seriously, people aren't that two-dimensional. No one's perfect, but that's the whole point. You're supposed to find that right person who happens to compliment you. Her strength is your weakness... etc… Now I'm not some high school student who's ranting about true love and soul mates and all that cliché stuff. I'm married. I have a family. I know what love is. _

_Now, I know that Tenchi Muyo is fiction. Fantasy. But come now. There are still rules when writing any story, fantasy or not. A cliché is a cliché and a poor plot is a poor plot. _

_So, that's my rant. Now, I can breathe freely knowing I have spread my cynicism to the innocent masses… _


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